Ondo is Not Imo State as Governor Hope Uzodinma Gives Akeredolu’s Wife Political Lessons of Her Life

Highlife

Shakespeare said, to be or not to be—that is the question. The English playwright might as well have been giving a deposition on the ins and outs of politics and politicking, especially the way these are done in Nigeria. To put things into perspective, the senatorial ambition of the wife of Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, Madam Betty, has failed.

Betty made a recent declaration to the public that she is withdrawing from the race and supporting whoever her party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), deems qualified to be the Senator for Imo East. All that was well and good until she also mentioned that she was relinquishing her senatorial dreams because of “… brazen irregularities, use of force and intimidation meted out on my person and supporters.”Now, politics is not a thing for the faint of hearts, especially in Nigeria. And it is evident from her records as Ondo First Lady that Betty is no pushover. Moreover, her husband the Governor is also well-known as a determined individual who gets whatever he wants. So, how did Madam Betty lose her cool? What is the reason behind her withdrawal despite the factors she listed?

According to some people, Betty has decided to douse the fires of her senatorial ambition because Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State will have none of it. After all, while Betty is a native of Imo and qualified to represent her people, she is currently the First Lady of Ondo State. So, unless she aspired to be a national—rather than a state—figure, she had to relax her strides and bow to Uzodinma’s will, unspoken though they might have been.

This is the current narrative for why Betty decided to keep calm and remove herself from the senatorial fight. Whether it is absolutely accurate or not remains unknown. But we know, like Shakespeare’s quip, that her senatorial ambition is not to be. At least, not at present.